"Avatar" vs. "Hurt Locker" Rages on With 9 Oscar Nods Each

And, as you might expect. He’s pretty popular today. His phone has been ringing and e-mails are flooding his inbox. The most touching call was from his mom, Bettye.

"She saw me working for so long, ever since I was very young, and I pulled out these toys and a camera and made these little movies with them. It’s this lifelong dream, and a year ago, I was just happy to have a movie made, to be involved with a feature film. For this to happen, it still hasn’t fully sunken in," he told the newspaper.